Months of activism have finally paid off in the heinous slaying of Choppa. The infamous crime saw two disturbed men slit the throat of this handsome, gentle dog and post the video to Snapchat. With your support, we have been working to get justice every step of the way. 

In August of 2016, Steven Sadler and Boots Stanley took Choppa to the Bastrop, LA “kill barn” where Stanley’s family makes money selling horses to slaughter in Mexico. There they placed a rope around Choppa’s neck, put him on the back of a horse, and caused the horse to tread on timbers in what appeared to be their intent to cause Choppa to fall and hang. When the dog thwarted the hanging by balancing on the horse’s back, the demons let Choppa down and got right to their vile intent… Choppa fearful and not understanding why any of this was happening. 

While Sadler pet Choppa, saying how gentle the dog was, he straddled him and held his collar tight. He then pulled his knife out raking it across the innocent dog’s throat. Boots Stanley videoed and cold-heartedly instructed Sadler to cut deeper until Choppa’s lifeblood began to spurt from his beautiful neck. Trusting Choppa submitted to everything the monsters did without a flinch and even when he realized he was in harm’s way, all he did was turn his head in puzzlement. 

The men posted a video of their macabre dog-slaying game on Snapchat. Hanna Gospin intercepted the video and shared it widely on Facebook leading to the arrest of the Arkansas residents on August 25, 2016. 

September 20, 2016, In Defense of Animals, Animal Advocacy Initiative of Mississippi, and Voices for Justice joined for a candlelight vigil at the Morehouse Parish Courthouse. The monstrous duo was arraigned the following morning and they were charged with aggravated animal cruelty, a Class B felony, and a charge of conspiracy. 

In Defense of Animals and like-minded animal activists have kept this crime in the spotlight. Recently Choppa’s guardian contacted us with photos of Choppa and her story of how Choppa had been stolen. We shared the information with Morehouse Parish District Attorney Steve Tew. We had kept in contact with him and Assistant DA John Spires, both one hundred percent on board for the conviction of these “soulless” men, as DA Tew so aptly put it in a meeting. It was in the same meeting that we delivered over 21,000 letters from In Defense of Animals supporters demanding justice for Choppa. 

The infamous duo will be sentenced on June 14, 2018 and we are hoping that 4th District Judge Carl Sharp will stagger them with his sentencing. In all of this, we can only hope that Choppa is in a better place now, far away from the monsters that hurt him, waiting for his family to join him.

Please act now to get justice for animals like Choppa: www.idausa.org/getjustice